Boy, 8, dropped, injured by father

An eight-year-old boy was left with a broken elbow in plaster for four weeks and broken trust in his father after being dropped from head height, Judge Stephen Erber in Christchurch District Court today.

The man, who was granted name suppression, was being sentenced on a charge of injuring his son with reckless disregard for his safety.

His wife read a victim impact report and said her son had missed out on sport, and some school life, but he had healed well, and there would be no long term effects from the injury.

She said he no longer felt safe being alone with his father, was upset more easily, argued, threw tantrums, and had trouble sleeping.

She felt let down, and as the father had to move out of the family home, she felt her best friend had moved away.

After the Christchurch earthquake in February the man was allowed to move home and there had been no problems or concerns since then.

She said the family was now stronger, closer, and more aware of each other.

Defence counsel Stuart Poore said a sentence of home detention would deprive the family of income, and the man would have to live at another address.

When the judge asked the mother what she would prefer she answered that she wanted him home again with the family.

Mr Poore said the offending was out of character, and the man was under extreme stress because of the hours he was working, but since then he had changed his job.